Duplicating machine



y 1934. R, BESOCKE 1,956,611

DUPLICAT INGr MACHINE Filed Feb. 10, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 TYPEO ENCILSHEET May 1, 1934. R. BESOCKE DUPLICATING MACHINE Filed Feb. 10, 1932 3Sheets-Sheet 2 cle y 1934- R. BESOCKE DUPLICATING momma Filed Feb. 10,1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 f, m we W J Wav Patented May 1, 1934 NITED STATESPATENT OFFICE DUPLICATING MACHINE tion of Illinois Application February10, .1932, Serial No. 592,077

14 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in duplicating machines.

The duplicating machine of the present invention is designed with a viewof providing a machine of extreme simplicity which may be easily andconveniently manipulated and used in the reproduction of copies oftypewritten matter, and one which may be manufactured and sold at aminimum of cost and will still serve to produce the highest quality ofwork. With this end in view, the machine is so constructed as tonormally hold the inking pad and stencil sheet in spaced or elevatedrelation to the letter sheets to be imprinted and to progressivelysecure the impression by forcing down or flexing of the stencil sheetand pad to bring the inking surface momentarily into rolling contactwith the'letter sheet, so that a sharp and clear impression will betransmitted without thereby permitting the ink to spread, since eachportion of the stencil sheet, under the rolling impact, will release andlift away from the imprinted surface instantly after the impression hasbeen transmitted.

By this method of imprinting, a quick or rapid movement of the rollerwill secure the sharpest and most delicate impression, while a somewhatslower movement of the roller will produce a heavier or less sharplydefined impression, so that the quality or character of the-impressioncan be regulated to a considerable extent by changing the speed ofmovement of the roller, without, however, resulting in any smudge orobjectionable blurring of the letters.

The invention, furthermore, is designed to facilitate the quick and easyapplication and re-.

moval of the stencil sheet and inking pad to afford a machine which maybe easily operated without danger of smearing the ink on the work 0 orof soiling the hands or clothing of the operator, either during theadjustment of the stencil and inking pad or during the duplicatingoperation.

The machine, furthermore, is extremely compact and capable ofcomparatively rapid use, since the rolling contact and flexation of thestencil sheet insures instant release from the letter sheet after it hasbeen imprinted, so that no stripping mechanism or the like is required.

Further objects and details of the invention will appear from thedescription thereof, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,wherein- Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine showing the imperviousbacking sheet and inking pad partially broken away to show the stencilsheet;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine in operative relation;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation showing the stencil sheet,the inking pad, and the backing sheet in taut or elevated position;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the sheet fixed by the passage of theroller;

Fig. 5 is a detail showing the method of releasing the spring rods whichtension the stencil holding bar;

Fig. 6 is a detail showing the preferred method of applying the backingsheet to the inking pad;

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view taken on line 77 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the stencil sheet showing the method ofsecuring the same;

Fig. 9 is a view showing the roller in elevation;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view of the roller; and

Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail showing the coaction of the roller withthe inking pad and stencil.

The machine as a whole is mounted upon a base or platform 20 which ispreferably in the form of a flat board which carries a pair of siderails 21, each in the form of a flat bar standing so edgewise. The twoside rails are connected at their opposite ends by cross bars 22 and 23,each of which is downturned at its ends 24 to embrace the side rails andis entered through notches 25 in the upper edge of the respective siderails, 5 the downturned ends of the cross bars being secured byriveting, spot welding, brazing or the like, to afford an openrectangular frame of sufficient interior dimensions to provide for thecarrying of a stencil sheet and inking pad of the size antd shapecommonly employed in the present ar The frame thus constructed is hingedat one end upon a cross rod 26 upturned at one end 27 and enteredthrough ears or lugs 28 formed at the opposite ends of a cross bar 29,which is secured to the flat base 20 near one end thereof. The cross barhas its inner edge upturned to provide a flange 30 which constitutes agauge for the positioning of the pile of letter sheets 31.

The arrangement is one which permits the hinged frame to lie flatwiseduring the duplicating operation or to be lifted into the positionindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 to facilitate the removal oradjustment of the stencil sheet and 105 associated parts.

Each of the side rails 21 near its hinged end is provided with aninwardly extending slot 32, within which is mounted what may be termedthe movable stencil carrying bar 33 which 00- 1 operates with a fixedstencil carrying bar 34 at the opposite end of the frame, which bar 34is mounted within slots 35 cut in the free ends of the side rails 21.

The slots 32 are considerably longer than the slots 35, and the movablestencil carrying bar 33 is normally held at an intermediate positionWithin the slots 32 by the thrust of a pair of plungers 36, each ofwhich is bifurcated at its outer end 37 to enter a notch 38 in thecontiguous end of the bar 33.

Each of the plungers 36 terminates in a stem 39 which is surrounded by acoil spring to bearing against a collar il, and the plunger with itsstem is slidably mounted upon a guide plate 42 having its ends upturnedto provide cars 43 and 4a through which the stem and plungerrespectively are entered and guided to permit of a retraction of theplunger against the tension of the spring 40.

From an inspection of Fig. 5, it will be noted that the bar 33 whenengaged with the plungers will stand outwardly from the base of theslots 32, so that clearance will be aiforded for the drawing back of thebar against the tension of the springs.

As best shown in Fig. 1, the bar 3% is provided with notches 45 on itsinner edge, at the point where it engages with the bases of the slots35, so that the bar 34 will be held against end play, which preventsdisplacement of the stencil sheet and inking pad carried thereby.

The stencil sheet 46 underlies the inking pad l7 which is backed by abacking sheet 48 of oiled silk or the like, which is impervious to thepassage of ink. The stencil sheet is provided at one end with a head 49provided with a plurality of key-hole slots 50, which are adapted tohook over headed studs 51 depending from the under side of a spring clip52 (see Fig. 3), while the inking pad is looped over the bar beneath thespring clip 52, which embraces the loop of the inking pad. Theprotective backing sheet 48 is preferably folded around the edges of theinking pad (see Fig. 7), and the under-folded edges 53 are secured bylines of stitching 5a, which arrangement serves to protect the exposededges of the inking pad against the evaporation of the ink and alsoguards against soiling or smudging the hands of the operator by contactwith any portion of the inking pad.

The opposite ends of the inking pad and stencil sheet are looped aroundthe fixed cross bar 34 and held in place by a spring clip 55 (see Fig.3). With the parts thus positioned, the stencil sheet with its pad andbacking will be held taut in elevated relation above the surface of theletter sheets to be imprinted, as in Fig. 3, but in order to secure animpression, a roller 56 is employed, which is journalled within abracket 57, the arms of which at their inner ends are backwardly turnedand entered into a handle 58.

As shown, the roller is provided with longitudinally extendingcorrugations 59, although the surface of the roller might be otherwiseconfig- Ured, it being desirable, however, to provide a roughenedsurface of some character in order to prevent the roller from crowdingthe ink forwardly during each successive traverse of the ink- 1 ing padin the operation of the machine.

Operation In operating the machine, the inking pad will v be saturatedor impregnated with ink of the character commonly employed forduplicating work, after which the frame may be lifted into itsupstanding position, and the ends of the inking pad looped around thebars 33 and 84 respectively. Thereafter, the head end of the stencilsheet will be hooked onto the headed studs 51 and the free end of thestencil sheet looped around the bar 33, after which the spring clip 55will be snapped into place, thereby holding the stencil sheet and inkingpad firmly in position on the bars.

During the mounting of the inking pad and the stencil sheet, it willordinarily be desirable to release the ends of the bar 33 fromengagement with the plungers 36 so as to permit the bar to be drawninwardly to relieve tension during the adjustment of the parts.Thereafter, by forcing back the plungers until the bifurcated endsthereof clear the inner edge of the bar 33, the plungers can be snappedinto position and will thereupon exert an outward thrust against thebar, which serves to impart an even tension to the stencil sheet, inkingpad, and backing sheet, holding them in taut or elevated relation. Withthe stencil sheet thus elevated, a letter sheet or a pile of lettersheets will be stacked in position with their forward ends restingagainst the gauge flange 30, and the roller will be moved firmly andrapidly from end to end of the stencil sheet, which will cause flexationthereof, as in Fig. 4, and bring each portion of the stencil surfacemomentarily into a rolling line of contact with the paper, so that theprinting will be imparted by the momentary contact of the stencilledletters with the paper surface, followed by an instant release fromcontact, so that no opportunity will be afiorded for a spreading orseeping of ink, and a sharp, clear and distinct impression will besecured.

By reason of the interrupted surface afforded by the corrugations in theroller, the inking pad will be interruptedly compressed (see Fig. 11),so that there will be no tendency to continuously force the body of inkforwardly with the roller, which would occur if a smooth roller wereemployed and the roller constantly operated in the same direction. It istherefore desirable to interrupt the roller surface by the provision ofcorrugations or similar irregularities, although the form, shape andarrangement of such irregularities in the surface contour may bemodified, since it is not essential that the corrugations orirregularities run in the straight-line arrangement shown.

After the roller has completed its traverse of the stencil surface, thestencil surface will resume its elevated position, so that upon thecompletion of the printing, the copy will be com pletely released fromcontact with the stencil surface, and may be quickly removed to expose afresh sheet to a like impression, thereby enabling the work to proceedrapidly and. uniformly.

I am aware that in certain types of duplicating machines it has been thepractice in the past to lay the stencil sheet flatwise upon the copysheet, and to pass a roller thereover, but such an arrangement is highlyobjectionable, for the reason that it almost invariably results in asmudgy or uneven transfer of the ink, and furthermore requires a carefulstripping or disengagement of the stencil from the copy after printing,but I know of no instance in which the inking contact is efiected by aflexation of the stencil, so that a momentary rolling contact iseffected with an instant release from the copy sheet after the lettershave been imprinted; and in claiming the present invention I do notdesire to be limited to the particular features of construction hereinshown and described for utilizing the principles involved, sincenumerous modifications in structure may be introduced without departingfrom the spirit of the invention. Nor do I desire to be limited to amachine in which the roller is operated by hand, since the sameprinciple of ink transference might readily be employed in machineshaving power operated rollers, or rollers built into or mechanicallyassociated with the frame of the machine, or actuated otherwise than bythe direct pressure of the operators hand.

I claim:

1. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a base for supportingthe copy sheet to be imprinted, a frame mounted on the base, a stencilsheet, an inking pad in facewise contact behind the stencil sheet,yieldable means carried by the frame for normally holding the stencilsheet and inking pad under tension in spaced relation to the base, and aroller adapted to impart pressure to the inking pad and stencil sheetand adapted to flex the same toward the base to afford a progressiverolling contact and immediate release between the tensioned stencilsheet and the copy sheet.

2. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a base for holding thecopy sheet to be imprinted, a frame mounted on the base and hingedthereto to permit lifting of one end thereof, a stencil sheet, an inkingpad in facewise contact behind the stencil sheet, yieldable meanscarried by the frame for normally holding the stencil sheet and inkingpad under tension in spaced relation to the base, and a roller adaptedto impart pressure to the inking pad and stencil sheet and adapted toflex the same toward the base to afford a progressive rolling contactand immediate release between the tensioned stencil sheet and the copysheet.

3. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a base for holding thecopy sheet to be im-.

printed, a frame mounted on the base, a stencil sheet, an inking padbehind the stencil sheet, yieldable means carried by the frame fornormally holding the stencil sheet and inking pad in spaced relation tothe base, and a corrugated roller adapted to impart pressure to theinking pad and stencil sheet and adapted to flex the same toward thebase to afford a progressive rolling contact and immediate releasebetween the stencil sheet and the copy sheet.

4. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a basefor holding thecopy sheet to be imprinted, a frame mounted on the base and hingedthereto to permit lifting of one end thereof, a stencil sheet, an inkingpad behind the stencil sheet, yieldable means carried by the frame fornormally holding the stencil sheet and inking pad in spaced relation tothe base, and a corrugated roller adapted to impart pressure to theinking pad and stencil sheet and adapted to flex the same toward thebase to afford a progressive rolling contact and immediate releasebetween the stencil sheet and the copy sheet.

5. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a base, an open frameconsisting of side rails and cross connections, a fixed stencil carryingcross bar and a movable stencil carrying cross bar, both carried by theframe in spaced relation to one another, spring means for holding themovable cross bar in yieldable relation with respect to the frame, astencil sheet and an inking pad in facewise contact therewith, bothsecured at their opposite ends to the respective cross bars and heldunder tension thereby and in elevated relation to the base, and meansfor progressively flexing the tensioned stencil sheet and inking pad toimpart a progressive momentary inking contact to the copy sheet.

6. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a base, an open frameconsisting of side rails and cross connections, means for hinging theframe to the base at one end, a fixed stencil carrying cross bar and amovable stencil carrying cross bar, both carried by the frame in spacedrelation to one another, spring means for holding the movable cross barin yieldable relation with respect to the frame, a stencil sheet and aninking pad in facewise contact therewith, both secured at their oppositeends to the respective cross bars and held under tension thereby and inelevated relation to the base, and means for progressively flexing thetensioned stencil sheet and inking pad to impart a progressive momentaryinking contact to the copy sheet.

7. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a base, an open frameconsisting of side rails and cross connections, a fixed stencil carryingcross bar and a movable stencil carrying cross bar, both carried by theframe in spaced relation to one another, spring means for holding themovable cross bar in yieldable relation with respect to the frame, astencil sheet and an inking pad in facewise contact therewith, bothsecured at their opposite ends to the respective cross bars and heldunder tension thereby and in elevated relation to the base, and a rolleradapted to operate within the side rails of the frame to flex thetensioned stencil sheet and inking pad and to bring the stencil sheetinto momentary progressive contact with the copy sheet during theprinting operation.

8. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a base, an open frameconsisting of side rails and cross connections, means for hinging theframe to the base at one end, a fixed stencil carrying cross bar and amovable stencil carrying cross bar, both carried by the frame in spacedrelation to one another, spring means for holding the movable cross barin yieldable relation with respect to the frame, a stencil sheet and aninking pad in facewise contact therewith, both secured at their oppositeends to the respective cross bars and held under tension thereby and inelevated relation to the base, and a roller adapted to operate withinthe side rails of the frame to flex the tensioned stencil sheet andinking pad and to bring the stencil sheet into momentary progressivecontact with the copy sheet during the printing operation.

9. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a base, an open frameconsisting of side rails and cross connections, a fixed stencil carryingcross bar and a movable stencil carrying cross bar, both carried by theframe in spaced relation to one another, spring means for holding themovable cross bar in yieldable relation with respect to the frame, astencil sheet an inking pad in facewise contact therewith, and a backingsheet, all secured at their opposite ends to the respective cross bars,and a corrugated roller adapted to operate with the side rails of theframe to flex the stencil sheet and inking pad and to bring the stencilsheet into momentary progressive contact with the copy sheet during theprinting operation.

10. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a base, an open frameconsisting of side rails and cross connections, means for hinging theframe to the base at one end, a fixed stencil carrying cross bar and amovable stencil carrying cross bar, both carried by the frame in spacedrelation to one another, spring means for holding the movable cross barin yieldable relation with respect to the frame, a stencil sheet aninking pad in facewise contact therewith, and a backing sheet, allsecured at their opposite ends to the respective cross bars, and acorrugated roller adapted to operate within the side rails of the frameto flex the stencil sheet and inking and to bring the stencil sheet intomomentary progressive contact with the copy sheet during the printingoperation.

11. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a flat base, an openframe comprising side rails and cross connections, a fixed stencilcarrying cross bar secured to the fram at one end, a movable stencilcarrying cross bar slidably mounted within the side rails of the frameat the opposite end, a pair of spring backed plungers engaging theopposite ends of the movable cross bar for normally imparting a springthrust thereto in a direction away from the fixed cross bar, a stencilsheet, an inking pad and an im pervious backing sheet in facevvisecontact respectively with one another and having their opposite endssecured respectively to the fixed cross bar and the spring backed crossbar and held under tension thereby and elevated relaticn to the base,and means adapted to traverse the stencil sheet and apply pressurethereto to flex the tensioned stencil sheet toward the base to effectinking contact of the copy sheet carried by the base.

12. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a flat base, an openframe comprising side rails and cross connections, means for hingingsaid side rails at one end to the base, to permit lifting of the frame,a fixed stencil carrying cross bar secured to the frame at one end, amovable stencil carrying cross bar slidably mounted within the siderails of the frame at the opposite end, a pair of spring backed plungersengaging the opposite ends of the movable cross bar for normallyimparting a spring thrust thereto in a direction away from the fixedcross bar, a stencil sheet, an inking pad and an impervious backingsheet in facewise contact respectively with one another and having theiropposite ends secured respectively to the fixed cross bar and the springbacked cross bar and held under tension thereby and in elevated relationto the base, and means adapted to traverse the tensioned stencil sheetand apply pressure thereto to flex the stencil sheet toward the base toeffect inking contact of the copy sheet carried by the base. i

13. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a fiat base, an openframe comprising side rails and cross connections, a fixed stencilcarrying cross bar secured to the frame at one end, a movable stencilcarrying cross bar slidably mounted within the side rails of the frameat the opposite end, a pair of spring backed plungers engaging t eopposite ends of the movable cross bar for normally imparting a springthrust thereto in a direction away from the fixed cross bar, a stencilsheet, an inking pad and an impervious backing sheet'having theiropposite ends secured respectively to the fixed cross bar and the springbacked cross bar, and a corrugated roller adapted to traverse thestencil sheet and apply pressure thereto to flex the stencil sheettoward the base to effect inking contact of the copy sheet carried bythe base.

14. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a fiat base, an openframe comprising side rails and cross connections, means for hingingsaid side rails at one end to the base to permit lifting of the frame, afixed stencil carrying cross bar secured to the frame at one end, amovable stencil carrying cross bar slidably mounted within the siderails of the frame at the opposite end, a pair of spring backed plungersengaging the opposite ends of the movable cross bar for normallyimparting a spring thrust thereto in a direction away from the fixedcross bar, a stencil sheet, an inking pad and an impervious backingsheet having their opposite ends secured respectively to the fixed crossbar and the spring backed cross bar, and a corrugated roller adapted totraverse the stencil sheet and apply pressure thereto to flex thestencil sheet toward the base to effect inking contact of the copy sheetcarried by the base.

RICHARD BESOCKE.

